'Golden Shopping Mall' on Serious Eats

There many dumplings worth seeking out in Flushing, but only one that I get every time I visit. It doesn't matter what else I've come for—breakfast, tea shopping, a 12-course meal somewhere else—these dumplings are non-negotiable. More

Manhattan's Chinatown has its share of dumplings: potstickers aplenty, Shanghainese xiao long bao, some wontons here and there. But if you want real dumpling diversity, and an overall upgrade in quality, you have to hop the 7 train to Flushing. Here are the essentials to get the most out of your dumpling crawl. More

This garlic chive, egg, and vermicelli-stuffed pancake is so green and fresh you could imagine it on the menu of a twee "put an egg on it" cafe. Except that this is Flushing, where garlic breath and oil-stained wax paper are a way of life, and the garlic chives don't mess around. More

If you thought the first floor of the Golden Shopping Mall (profiled yesterday) in Flushing, Queens, was cramped, try heading downstairs. Trying to eat the entirety of that basement food court is like descending into madness. There are just so many choices—diced rabbit seeped in red oil and dusted in white sesame, the springy bite of Lanzhou hand-pulled noodles, chewy-skinned dumplings and thick bones full of bone marrow to slurp. How to make sense of it? Here's our guide.More

[Photo credit: Lingbo Li] North-South Dumplings serves not only dumplings, but a healthy list of side dishes, stir fries, noodles, and wontons. I found the dumplings satisfying, especially if you enjoy thick, slightly chewy skins. The filling was flavorful... More

[Photo credit: Robyn Lee] Since TV shows, magazines, and uh, Serious Eats have wrested this fiendishly good stall from obscurity to multi-chain fame, you're probably already familiar with the place. If you in the neighborhood, there's no reason not... More

[Photo credit: Lingbo Li] A $4.75 bowl of noodles at Lanzhou Handmade Noodles at the Golden Shopping Mall basement begins its life as an enormous block of dough. The noodle craftsmen begin working it softer, stretching the dough into... More

[Photo credit: Lingbo Li] While there's no formal menu at this Tianjin-style stand, signs on the windows promise dumplings: Chinese leek with eggs, shrimp and pork, and Chinese celery with pork (at $3 for a dozen). A hot and... More

[Photo credit: Lingbo Li] Well, if Fuchsia Dunlop likes it, that has to say something about a Sichuanese restaurant, right? Serving up all the spicy classics of the region is Chengdu Heavenly Snacks, whose menu covers must-order traditional cold... More

[Photo credit: Lingbo Li] Zhu's Snacks is run by Mr. Zhu, a congenial man from Wenzhou who happens to serves some seriously satisfying food. When he saw me snapping food photos, he chuckled, then pulled out a camera of... More

[Photo credit: Lingbo Li] All noodle dishes on the menu here are available either as rice noodles or wheat noodles—the former are more thin and delicate. I sampled their beef noodle, which featured pleasantly gelatinous and flavorful chunks of... More

This recently opened kebab shop offers traditional kebabs as well as seaweed-on-a-stick. Address and directions No number (in the basement, second stall on your right coming in through the Main Street entrance.) 41-28 Main Street Flushing, NY Translated Menu Print... More

[Photo credit: Lingbo Li] While their Chinese name translates to North-South Local Flavor, their English one name checks the mainland's Henan province and Taiwan's capital. This recent addition has a small menu, shaved red bean ice, and bubble teas.... More

[Photo credit: Lingbo Li] Wenzhou's fishball soup is nothing like the Fuzhou fishball soup that you can find at Old Wang Ji on the first floor of the Golden Shopping Mall. They're more fish noodle than fish ball: they... More

Flushing, Queens, in many ways, is its own world. While only two stops away from Manhattan on the Long Island Railroad, this is a land of $900 one-bedroom apartments and brilliant $4 bowls of noodles. You know you've stepped foot in the right place when the signs are covered in symbols and the pavement jostles with immigrants. But with so many menus only in Chinese, and so many wonderful shop owners lacking a command of English, the food scene can be difficult to navigate. Here's our comprehensive guide to Flushing food courts, Part I: translated menus, clickable maps, and more! More

[Photo credits: Lingbo Li] While they have a reasonably well-developed menu at Jack Yan's (also known as Shandong Dumpling) in the Golden Shopping Mall, all the star power comes from their boiled to order Shandong-style dumplings. They're small and... More

[Photo credit: Lingbo Li] I have fond memories of Henanese people. I befriended a family of Henan migrants of China's Islamic Hui ethnic minority who ran a restaurant down the street from my Shanghai sublet. They served excellent lamb... More